The Dodgers announced that catcher Rocky Gale has been outrighted off the 40-man roster on Tuesday afternoon. The move foreshadows possible future trade deadline improvements by clearing roster space. Gale has been considered a break glass in case of emergency fourth catcher behind Will Smith, Austin Barnes and Russell martin.
With the emergence of Smith (in addition to other top prospect Ruiz) the Dodgers don’t need Gale anymore and his roster spot is more important than keeping him off the roster. For the record, the 31-year old journeyman backstop has been a decent defensive catcher. However he has been a horrendous hitter in his short stint in the majors. Overall Gale has notched just two base hits in 17 plate appearances between 2018-2019 with the Dodgers. He’s batting just .133 this season and has just one extra base-hit in the majors (a 2017 home run with San Diego) and has never drawn a walk in the majors.
C Rocky Gale was outrighted to OKC by the Dodgers, opening a 40-man roster spot as the Trade Deadline approaches. Gale is the third catcher on an OKC club that has top catching prospects Will Smith and Keibert Ruiz.
— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) July 24, 2019
Gale has spent most of the season at Oklahoma City where he has batted just .250 in 109 plate appearances. Note that he is a .277 hitter as a minor leaguer over parts of nine seasons. The move means the Dodgers now have 38 roster spots available. I do know that MLB does not like for those vacant roster spots to stay empty for long, so that tells me that a trade or two may be in the works. With only about a week until the July 31 trade deadline, I would expect the Dodgers to announce a trade or possibly two very soon.
Out righting Gale was pretty much a no brainer. He is nothing more than roster fodder anyway. He did have a decent spring, but no way he was beating out Martin or Barnes. I know the BP is the big need, but they definitely need more offense out of the catching spot. No pop down there and little or no offense at all. Barnes under the Mendoza line. Martin hovering in the 220’s.
Michael, as you know the Dodgers knew going in that little to no offense at all compared to what they got last year from Grandal was the way it was going to be and fully accepted that. IMHO Dodgers cannot afford to ‘carry ‘ Barnes and or martin offensively for such an extended period. But it appears Dodgers will just exist with the current catching situation for the rest of this year. I can’t imagine Barnes would be the starting catcher in 2020
I knew that going in for sure. The team knew what they were going to get. But I honestly also believe they did not expect Barnes to be this bad, and how well Smith played was somewhat of a revelation to the FO. I honestly believe they intend to keep both Smith and Ruiz and Barnes and Martin will both be gone after the season is over. Martin might become an instructor in the system though. He is very good at mentoring kids.
I dont miss Grandal at all (see what I did there?) I
Yup, Gale was just taking up space on the roster. There are a lot of other players that they should outright, but only time will tell.
Sure, this team has a lot of wins, and a 14.5 game lead in the West. Those “crazy numbers” show they are one of the elite teams, overall. Hard to believe, with all their shortcomings. Biggest problems are errors, RISP, 4-5 inning starters, BP quality pitchers, and raggedy ass bullpen. “Numbers” really do not paint a true picture. “Numbers” can be twisted to inflate the value of players and teams, so they can justify outrageous, inflated player contracts, and higher ticket prices.
They are somewhat cruising in the weak NL West. That is amazing, considering that this team has a lot of holes, more holes than a slice of swiss cheese. Way too many holes to fill, before the trade deadline.
Maybe, instead of making a drastic move in desperation for a band-aid, they should just bring up the prospects, who they so dearly refuse to let go. These kids are hungry for a shot, and are like young studs, at the starting gate, gnawing at the bit. Maybe these kids can surprise everyone, and lead the charge to a championship. Maybe it is time to flush the toilet on this team, the bowl is overfull.
Series sweep by the other team in LA. Totally unacceptable.
What do you want fans, two fancy sports bars, and center field family play area, or a World Series caliber team?
Both? And more?
They certainly can afford it Bluto!
Sure, both would be nice. I look at it this way, (some may not…. oh well). Hopefully we go to Dodger Stadium to see a good ballgame. Do we really need a center field playground, and two sports bars? We don’t need that. We can go to a sports bar in our neighborhood for the big screens and reasonably priced beers, or take the kids to a local playground, without paying $50 to $100 bucks for a ticket (your kid is not free). Would you enjoy paying $300 to $400 to take your family to a Dodger game so they can frolic in the family playground, or would you rather sit in your seat and watch a great game, and enlighten your kids to the game of baseball. As it is now, the Dodgers are not exhibiting the top quality of baseball that I would expect them to play. This is not the kind of game to get our kids excited to become Dodger fans, and learn the right way to play the game.
Unfortunately, baseball is now a big business, and because of that, renovations take priority over building a World Series caliber team. I can understand it, but I do not have to agree with it.
I’m just sayin’, and I’ll leave it at that.
Bluefan, out.
They obviously do not need it Blue. I do not always agree with what this ownership and FO do all the time either. AF made another one of his head scratching moves today acquiring corner infielder Tyler White from the Astro’s for a AA pitcher. White had decent numbers in 17 and 18, but has not been the same hitter this year. He usually plays 1st or 3rd base. I saw him play a game a couple of weeks ago on TV. Right handed hitter with some power and he is supposed to be very good against LHP. Not so much this year. He was DFA’d by the Stros. The guy is the size of a small moving van and not much of a defensive player. I guess he is supposed to replace Taylors RH bat until he is back, and with Kike tweaking his wrist yesterday, I guess they need a RH bat. Dumb trade in my book. Stripling is only 50-50 to make his next start in Colorado, so maybe May or Gonsolin get the call to replace him for a start or two.
OMG, just what we needed, another 1B-man. All it amounts to is another lottery pick for DR’s lottery lineup.
Hey AF, Walmart Dumpsters are open ‘til Midnight on July 31st…. Kind of a rush decision.
This move does not address the current problem. Just adds to the confusion and could ultimately lead to more defensive lapses.
I don’t get your complaint about quality of play.
The Dodgers are the top quality song over the past 3 years. That said, the current brand of baseball is definitely not the most aesthetically pleasing…
But let’s get to the value-proposition talk.
NICE.
This is a great discussion.
What can teams do to drive people to stadiums? As you point out, you have to (as a stadium manager or team owner) compete with HDTV, with traffic, with pirated streams.
How do you create a value proposition to get people to the stadium? One way would be to cut costs and make it more economical. On the downside, is there is a fear that this turns into a race to the bottom and devalues your brand. The other is to make going to the stadium more experiential. Make it a ball-game plus. Drinks, playgrounds, music, shopping.
It’s a great debate….
Great debate, indeed.
My feeling is…. just put a quality, powerhouse team out there. The fans will come. You do not need all the gimmicks, and fancy crap.
What do other fans think?
The fans are coming! That’s not the issue. How do you keep them coming?
At some point the dodgers are not going to be in the World series or coming off a WS appearance. At some point the advantages the team enjoys in player scouti g and development will be mitigated.
Sad but true, Bluefan. Your last sentence here says it all.
Mets intent to trade Thor. Now there is a pitcher who would be worth trading for. As far as the improvements, to the owners it is all about the fan experience. Dodger Stadium is a great place to watch a game, but today, and all you need to do is watch the next home games, fans are busy playing with their phones or doing that stupid ass wave. Or, my personal biggest annoyance, playing with a frippen beach ball. Other than the kids who really love baseball, the others rarely watch the game and are too busy stuffing their face with cotton candy and such. As far as the fan experience, Dodger Stadium is not at the top of the list. There are a lot of ball parks that have added stuff that makes no sense at a ball bark, ala the sting ray tank in Tampa, or the swimming pool in Az. So it makes sense to the owners to spend 100 million dollars to dress up the old girl and make her pretty for the younger set. It also jibes with the All Star game coming back to LA after a 40 year absence. And the All Star game is a HUGE cash cow for ownership
Thor would be a good trade, but all depends on what it would cost. Also, if will just be a 1 year rental.
Dodger Stadium is the perfect ballpark. Needs no improvements, unless you are one of those fans who dig the upscale amenities. You or I probably could do without it. Like you said, Michael, the fans are already coming…. two sellouts for the Freeway Series, for example. So, no immediate need for renovations, except for the upcoming All-Star game, to rake in more revenue. Face it, the fans will fill the stadium for All-Star game, with or without the new renovations. As far as fans being there to watch the game…. I too, can’t stand the beach ball crap, or how about the “wave”, at the inopportune time…. while our pitcher is pitching. Dumb fans do not realize it is more appropriate to spark the offense. Too bad these parents prefer letting their kids stuff their faces with pricey junk food, instead of teaching them the intricacies of the game of baseball.
“STAY OFF MY LAWN, ya damn kids!”
Barnes optioned to AAA OKC and Smith will be recalled on Friday.
Yup, Barnes needs some mental rehab time.
I hope they let Smith play, or will he get lost in the Lineup Lottery?
Lux and Peters tearing up OKC too. Lux can play SS/2B.
Will Smith deserves his shot, he’s earned it.
Definitely. Especially since Barnes AND Martin have not played well. They have nothing to lose, at this point. I just hope they do not limit his playing time, and get him caught up in the lefty/righty fiasco. I’m sure he was not sitting much in OKC.